Households across Ecuador are poised to see improvements in the reliability of their electric service thanks to a smart meter infrastructure by GE Energy. Some 25,000 meters will be installed in Ecuador by Electrica de Guayaquil. This is the second phase of a complete overhaul of the country's meters, which eventually will replace nearly 200,000 meters.

As part of an overall grid modernization strategy, GE's meter solution will enable remote connect and disconnect of customers, the collection of usage information for efficiency planning and future enhancements such as demand-response control and prepayment. GE will deliver smart meters with advanced metering infrastructure and RF communications. Trilliant will provide the communications platform.

The relationship between GE and Latin America goes back 90 years. Recently, GE announced the GE Global Research Center project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The US$500 million center will generate smart grid solutions to the specific needs of each country in the region. GE also is working with AES Eletropaulo to collaborate on a smart grid R&D project, bringing the benefits of smart meters to the city of Sao Paulo.

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